LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — After a day of internal discussion and weeks of mounting pressure, Mark Stoops is expected to be out as the head football coach at the University of Kentucky as early as Monday, multiple outlets reported Sunday night.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel, citing unnamed sources, was first to report that Kentucky is expected to part ways with Stoops, with the process likely to unfold Monday. The Lexington Herald-Leader and others also reported the development, which comes less than 48 hours after Stoops insisted there was “0% chance” he would walk away from the job.
Instead, his 13-year tenure — the longest in school history — reportedly is over.
Per his contract, Kentucky would owe Stoops nearly $37 million within 60 days if no new terms are negotiated. On3.com is reporting that Stoops was willing to accept a restructured deal spreading that payout over multiple years.
A historic run meets a hard ending
Stoops took over a 2–10 program in 2012 and engineered the most successful modern stretch in Kentucky football history. He guided the Wildcats to seven bowl appearances, two 10-win seasons, and four bowl victories — including a 2018 Citrus Bowl win over Penn State that marked Kentucky’s first 10-win campaign since 1977.
He became the program’s all-time wins leader (82), passed Bear Bryant, beat ranked opponents with regularity, and was named SEC Coach of the Year in 2018. By 2021, following another 10–3 season capped by a Citrus Bowl win over Iowa, Stoops had turned Kentucky into a legitimate second-tier power in the SEC.
But the program faltered in the years that followed. And after back-to-back losing seasons — including a 5–7 finish in 2025 and a humbling 41–0 loss to Louisville on Saturday — school leadership reportedly decided to make a change.
Decline amid high expectations
Since Stoops signed a $9 million per year extension in November 2022 — placing him among the 10 highest-paid coaches in the country — Kentucky is just 17–24. Last year’s 4–8 record was the program’s worst since Stoops’ first season. And while this year offered hope in the form of young quarterback Cutter Boley and a reshaped transfer class, it ended with blowout losses to Vanderbilt and a short-handed Louisville team.
Both of Kentucky’s SEC wins this season came against programs whose coaches were later fired.
Despite those struggles, Stoops maintained his public confidence. He bristled at rumors suggesting he’d negotiated a reduced buyout and said last week there was “zero” chance he’d walk away. Still, he acknowledged the growing frustration around the program.
“I understand,” he said after a 56–34 home loss to Tennessee in early November. “It’s a results business, and the results have not been there. I hurt for our team. I hurt for the fans.”
As recently as last Monday, Stoops was outlining plans for a roster rebuild and navigating the NIL and revenue-sharing landscape. But Saturday’s lopsided Governor’s Cup loss — in which Kentucky was shut out by an injury-ravaged Louisville team — appeared to leave little doubt about the program’s direction.
What's next — for Stoops and for Kentucky
Stoops’ final season included a brief flirtation with the Texas A&M opening in 2024, which ultimately evaporated amid fan backlash in College Station. That saga, and the perception that Kentucky had overcommitted contractually, made his standing a frequent topic of public speculation.
His departure leaves Kentucky in the market for a head coach during a rapidly moving carousel. One logical top target, Tulane coach and former UK assistant Jon Sumrall, was hired by Florida on Sunday. Other potential candidates — including Kentucky native and Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein, a former Louisville and Trinity quarterback, could be difficult to reach with December playoff and portal calendars.
Under new NCAA rules, current UK players will receive a 15-day transfer window beginning five days after a new coach is hired. That put additional urgency on the university to act quickly.
The next coach will inherit some talented young pieces, including Boley, but also a roster with holes and questions, and a challenge in re-recruiting them to the program. Keeping that nucleus intact and rebuilding through the transfer portal will be the first critical task.
As for Stoops, his next move is unclear. At 58, he remains a respected defensive mind with deep ties across the sport. But for now, one of the longest head coaching tenures in the Power Five has come to a close.
A builder by trade, Stoops raised the floor for Kentucky football. But in the end, the ceiling proved harder to reach.
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